Archive for September, 2009

Suddenly we have real sprint with an unknown outcome for Boston mayor. We covered the newly combined campaign of Michael Flaherty and Sam Yoon to unseat Mayor Tom Menino.

Most folk had written off challenger Flaherty, who won the right in the preliminary to go head to head with Boston’s longest-serving CEO. The new combo asserts that all the voters who want change will go with them.

We talked voter loyalty, campaign funds, strategies in that five-week sprint to November 3rd. The energy level and excitement are way up.

Around Massachusetts, Tuesday was a pretty good time for political challengers. Numerous cities and towns had strong anti-incumbent drivers for mayor and council.

We spent a lot of time on Boston in the podcast. The mayor had three viable challengers and 15 at-large council candidates elbowed for the eight slots in the general on November 3rd. We talked about what the would-be officials had to offer in terms of change and how they presented their cases…plus how that all worked out for them.

We did manage to get to struggles and surprises in Lynn, Lawrence, Quincy, Brockton and Fall River. We talked about why and how the next six weeks will be like whole new races, particularly in Boston, and what the surviving contenders will have to do to win.

We honestly thought we were through holding forth on replacing Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate. Yet, the candidates come and go with astonishing frequency.

Ryan and Mike discussed who’s still in, who was in but no longer is and who else pulled nomination papers in the past couple of days. We have figured on a large Dem battle, but it seems to be settling into a few. A single announced Republican may be able to save his money and the party’s if there is no primary. However, even the national GOP seems to think this is a lost cause for the righties and is in no hurry to help with cash or otherwise.

If you can tolerate more quasi-expertise from those in the thick of it, listen below.

We thought we had done the Ted Kennedy replacement podcast. The changes came fast and varied…and continue to do so. We talked about who was in and pulled back, who jumped in when Joe Kennedy didn’t run, and who is ready to announce any moment now.

The Dems look like they’ll make a real shoving match. The elephants are much easier. Former MA LG Kerry Healey decided she really didn’t want to run â€” probably personally wise considering her dismal showing when she went for governor. However, that leaves the party with very weak candidates. We discussed those.

On the other side, the only announced candidates are AG Martha Coakley. However, three U.S. Reps, Markey, Capuano and Lynch are likely to join the race. We talked about those and several other possibles.

Ted’s nephew and his widow, Joe and Vicki, said they aren’t in the running and suddenly it’s a race.

From our perspective, we wondered who might be the best progressive in the race. We haven’t resolved that totally.

Who’s up for the race(s) to replace Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate? We paraded the likely candidates and scripts today.

The first deep wrinkle is that existing MA law requires a special election. Four years ago when we had a Republican Governor (Bill Weld) and junior Sen. John Kerry was running for President, the legislature changed the law that let the commonwealth’s chief executive appoint a replacement in death, inability or resignation. Now the lawmakers will face Kennedy’s last request of them â€” to return to the old way.

The proposed law would prevent an appointed interim from running in the special election. That would give us a second Senate vote at this critical time with health reform before Congress. It would also maintain the strong Democratic majority, filibuster proof if you pretend DINOs and Blue Dog Dems don’t exist.

That doesn’t have to be the law version that passes, but it is likely that some version will. If it is a limited interim, Gov. Deval Patrick will have likewise limited choices.

Listen in to hear our wise and/or catty comments about the possible candidates for the special. This is the stuff that makes national and MA politics such good spectator fare.